Jonathan Vilma's resurgence sitting well with Saints

METAIRIE, La. — Jonathan Vilma sank into a sofa in the Saints' training centre with a TV remote in his hand and clicked through a few newscasts before his head tilted back and he fell asleep.

And why wouldn't he need a nap? The Saints' middle linebacker has been on field for every defensive play through New Orleans' first six games and leads the team in tackles with 56.

Then there's the time he spends in practice and meetings learning the jobs of his defensive teammates.

"It's like having a quarterback who knows what he's supposed to do on offence," Saints defensive tackle Brian Young said of Vilma. "If you've got a guy who's back there and basically telling everybody what to do and where to go, you've got confidence, you don't have to worry about as much. ... You just go out there and play, so it makes it a lot easier."

Vilma even talks like a quarterback sometimes, crediting the linemen who play in front of him every time someone asks him about making double-digit tackles in a game.

"Any time the media thinks I have a good game, it's strictly because of what my D-line does," Vilma said after making 11 tackles against Oakland last Sunday. "The D-line knows I appreciate them very much."

In New Orleans, the comparison of Vilma to a quarterback is fitting in another way. The Saints took a chance on the former Jets star in much the same way they did in 2006 with Drew Brees, who was jettisoned by San Diego following a serious injury to his throwing shoulder.

Three seasons later, the Saints look pretty smart for bringing in Brees. So far, last winter's trade for Vilma doesn't look too bad, either.
Vilma, a first-round draft choice out of Miami in 2004, was a Pro Bowl linebacker with the Jets in 2005. Then a switch in defensive schemes, followed by a serious knee injury, made him expendable in New York.

The Saints were able to get him for a fourth-round draft choice last spring and a conditional pick next season, likely in the third round.

The hope was that Vilma, like Brees, would overcome injury and thrive in a scheme that suited his strengths.

The Saints play a 4-3 defence (four down linemen and three linebackers), the same scheme the Jets used when Vilma was 2004 Defensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowl selection the next season, when he led the NFL in tackles with 187.

In 2006, however, the Jets hired coach Eric Mangini, who replaced a three-linebacker scheme with a four-linebacker formation that he knew from his time as an assistant with New England.

The switch required Vilma, who is six-foot-one, 230-pounds, to take on blocks from offensive linemen who outweighed him significantly. What he lacked in size he sought to make up in quickness. Still, he wasn't the dominant linebacker he had been when he played behind four down linemen who ate up more blockers and allowed the linebackers to focus on pursuing the ball carrier.

Vilma's knee injury forced him to miss the last nine weeks of 2007 and required painful surgery involving a bone graft. He had muscle atrophy in his leg and had to work throughout the off-season to rebuild his strength and quickness.

"The anticipation of whatever play's coming and being able to just go sideline to sideline - that was something I was never going to know until I actually started playing back in training camp," Vilma said. "Now I feel good about where I'm at. I think I'm able to make those plays and it's comforting knowing that my knee hasn't been an issue and hopefully it won't be."

Vilma hardly appeared limited last Sunday, when he quickly slid off an attempted block near the line of scrimmage, lowered his shoulder into Darren McFadden and planted the Raiders' standout rusher on his back.

"I remember watching him when he was in college making big-time open field hits," Saints linebacker Scott Fujita said of Vilma. "It's hard to get a guy down in the open field. A lot of times you're just grabbing cloth and trying to grab shoelaces, but he does such a good job in open space and hitting guys one-on-one and bringing them down right there on the spot."

The Carolina Panthers, who host the Saints this Sunday, have taken notice of Vilma's resurgence. Coach John Fox and quarterback Jake Delhomme both referred to Vilma when discussing the recent improvement of the Saints' defence, which has yet to allow a 100-yard rusher.

Carolina linebacker Jon Beason, another former Miami Hurricane, said he thought Vilma would thrive once he returned to a 4-3 defence in which the middle linebacker runs the show.

"It's what he's used to, him being the man," Beason said. "He's a smart player. He's where he needs to be. He's not going to make any mistakes. And he's an intense guy."

(ap.com)